Lamborghini: It’s Just Different

Imagine it: on a sunny Sunday, you head out to a professional racetrack. What’s waiting for you? Not one impossibly gorgeous exotic car, but several. And you have the chance to test drive a couple of them. How fast can you go? As fast as your right foot is heavy. That’s the charge this writer faced recently as a guest of Lamborghini at Southern California’s Fontana Auto Club Speedway. It was on this fateful day that he learned a Lambo is so much more than a car. Here are seven reasons why. With visual aids, of course. —Nicholas Pell

1. Crazy Fast
Lamborghinis can reach speeds of more than 200 miles per hour. We’re not suggesting you try outrunning the cop pulling you over for already obscene speeds. But it’s pretty cool to know that you can.

2. Pickup to Spare
The Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera goes from 0 to 60 in a little over three seconds, while the Aventador LP 700-4 gets there in under 3, thanks to 700 horsepower. Compare that to a Mustang (305) or Camaro (323). Or don’t. You’ll know the difference when you push the pedal to the floor and your shirt merges with the upholstery.

3. Luxurious Power
It’s not just about being the fastest on the road. It’s also about elegance. And the suede interior of the Superleggera offers two tangible benefits: First, you can grip the wheel better. Second, when your miniskirted lady sits shotgun on a hot summer day, she won’t get stuck to the seat.

4. You Can’t Hurt This Car
Unlike just about any other car on the market, a Lamborghini protects itself and you in the process. The transmission automatically shifts once you start going into the red, so shift when appropriate or don’t—the car won’t let you do any damage. Further, the car grips the road hard on sharp turns. Floor it and just watch how it handles. We did, at the urging of a Lamborghini representative. It was the most amazing part of the day.

5. Futuristic Shifting
Lamborghini gives you two electronic shifting mechanisms on either side of the steering wheel, ergonomically positioned. Use them or don’t: Like we said, the car will shift itself. Point is, this is some next-level stuff that will have you feeling like your piloting a space ship down the interstate.

6. You Can’t Hurt Yourself
Lamborghini is always trying to optimize the power-to-weight ratio of their cars. To that end, they need super light material. The solution? Carbon fiber. This is what you’re going to find in most Formula One cars, and with good reason. Not only does it make the car perform because it’s super light, it keeps the driver safe, because it’s super strong. Thankfully, we did not test that second feature.

7. Just Look At It
When you think of an exotic car, the Lamborghini is quite possibly the first thing to come to mind. Reason being, it looks like something that dropped out of a hole in time from 1,000 years in the future. Drive this thing far enough out in the sticks and people are going to think the aliens have landed.